Henrik Galeen

Henrik Galeen (7 January 1881 – 30 July 1949) was an Austrian-born actor, screenwriter and film director considered an influential figure in the development of German Expressionist cinema during the silent era. He wrote the screenplay for Nosferatu.

Early years Considerable mystery exists about Galeen's early life, and for many years it was uncertain where exactly he was born. Galeen came from a Jewish family in Lemberg, Galicia, which was then part of the Austrian Empire. He moved from Austria to Germany before the First World War, and became assistant to the leading theatre figure Max Reinhardt. Galeen subsequently became an actor in Berlin and touring other German-speaking cities.

German silent films Galeen first became involved in film in 1913 when he worked on the screenplays for several uncredited films. In 1914, he wrote, directed and acted in The Golem the first of several depictions of the mythical figure The Golem. Following the First World War, he went to work for a branch of the major German studio UFA. He worked as a screenwriter on films such as Ruth's Two Husbands (1919) and Waxworks (1924).

In 1922, he was engaged to write a version of Dracula, however producers had not obtained the rights to the novel from the copyright holder. Names of characters and the locations of the story were changed and the script was retitled Nosferatu (1922). The film has come to be regarded as a classic of German expressionist cinema. Along with two of his later films, The Student of Prague (1926) and Alraune (1928), Nosferatu serves as the basis for Galeen's reputation. He also worked on a number of less-remembered films, including a series of thrillers starring Harry Piel.

Later career From 1928 to 1931, he lived in Britain, where he directed a feature film After the Verdict (1928) which was the first film to be shot at Wimbledon. He also worked on a number of short films. He returned to Germany in 1931 and directed a final film there, entitled The House of Dora Green (1933). Following the Nazi Party's rise to power in 1933, Galeen went into exile in Sweden before moving on to the United Kingdom and eventually to the United States. He died in Randolph, Vermont in 1949, at age 68.

Selected filmography